🎆 edi.bike | issue 73 | 30th Dec ‘24
your weekly edinburgh cycling digest
📰 News this Week
💰 The Bike Station Reach Relocation Funding Goal - Last Chance to Donate Today / Tomorrow
Great news - The Bike Station have reached their £10k crowdfunding goal after rent hikes at their Causewayside location forced them out. Their crowdfunder ends soon, with an end time of 5pm on 31st December, if you’re still looking to donate.
Otherwise got some Christmas money to spend? They have a great wee eBay shop on the go for a previously-loved “treasure trove of bikes, accessories, and cycling gear”;
🥐 ‘Ride up’ Food and Drink Stops - Community Map
Following on from this thread about La Barantine’s Fountainbridge Takeaway Kiosk and its handy serving window - and the suggestions that followed of other handy cycle accessible café stops - we put together a Community Map with the suggestions so far, and a Google Form if you want to add your own (requires a Google account, and won’t update the map immediately, thaaaanks Google).
If you click on the map pins, you’ll see the name and address of the stop, but also whether it’s a serving hatch, kiosk or just has handy parking / access.
🏰 Local Bits
☀️ Podcast release - Hazel Darwin-Clements, of Porty Community Energy (and their Active Travel Hub / Bike Library) — recently named a ‘Community Champion’ in Cycling UK’s 2024 “100 Women in Cycling” — recently featured on an episode of Porty Podcast, looking back at recent projects promoting the use of cargo bikes in the community and upcoming projects in the New Year;
📺 If you haven’t had a chance to try out the Roseburn to Union Canal link and would like a virtual jaunt from the comfort of your twixmas armchair, ride-through videos of both Northbound and Southbound routes were recently posted to Edi Cycle Infra on Youtube;
🇬🇧 National News
🎙️ Podcast release — on last week’s episode of ‘Streets Ahead’, Laura Laker and Ned Boulting join a school Bike Bus; a lovely way to wrap up the year, and don’t forget to get involved in Edinburgh’s various ‘buses’ if you could spare a half hour on a weekday morning to marshal a ride;
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🛣 Route Closures and Issues
🧭 CCWEL at Roseberry Cres - big thanks to Antonia who had spoken with the workers here - new tarmac has been laid, fencing and gear has been cleared and the street swept clear of debris; and the street / cycleway are open again until works return some time in January / Early Feb at the top half of the street;
🧭 CCWEL at Melville St - works here have concluded, with a few photos of the public realm shared with us on Bluesky by The Edinburgh Reporter;
📪 Many thanks to Robbie for recent closure updates:
🐎 King's Stables Rd - closed until Jan 17th;
🪨 Holyrood Pk - Closure of the 'High Road' for rockfall work looks to have concluded, however it’s worth checking holiday period opening times here before heading over;
🏃🏽♀️ On New Year’s Day, a Triathlon will see Queen's Dr, Holyrood Gait, Horse Wynd and Holyrood Park Rd closed from 8am - 5pm;
💧 Union Canal: Towpath improvement works are ongoing from Leamington Lift Bridge to Edinburgh Quay until May 2025. A section of towpath is closed with diversion across the lift bridge and along the southern side of the canal - more info at Scottish Canals;
🛤️ Thanks to Martin for passing on an update from Midlothian Council on the partial closure of NCN 196, on the Auchendinny-Rosewell railway path for resurfacing with ‘flexipave’: “The nature of the new material requires specific settings for it to be laid and it is unable to set under the poor weather that we have recently experienced, being very wet and extremely cold conditions. The expected completion time is now by the middle of February 2025, weather dependent. As a result, the council has made the decision to open the section for the pathway, allowing users the opportunity to utilise the section over this period. The pathway from Auchendinny to Rosewell will now reopen from Saturday 21st December, and will remain open until the contractors are able to return to resurface …on February 3rd 2025, at which point the last of the resurfacing works will begin. It is estimated the remaining works will require approximately 2 weeks to complete resurfacing.”
⚡ Ongoing: The questionable Network Rail ban on ebike parking at Waverley Station - best to make alternative parking plans if travelling from this station at present;
🏹 Lawnmarket and Upper Bow: Road improvements are ongoing until July ‘25; be sure to read the Council’s page about the closures, which managed to completely omit arrangements for a certain human-powered transport mode so mind how you go;
🎉 Events and Happenings
📆 Upcoming / Ongoing
🖼️ The Spokes, Infrasisters, Bike Buses and Edinburgh Critical Mass co-curated campaigning exhibition ‘Pedal Power’ has opened at its new venue [IG] of Duncan Place in Leith - well worth a visit;
🔁 Weekly Events
🎅🏼 Festivus Warning; some of these are likely to be skipping a week or two over the break, so make your own enquiries before setting off!
🍃 Mon, 12-2.30pm: Free, fun group ride on paths from Bridgend Farmhouse;
🌅 Tues, ⏰ 5.40am: Edinburgh Dawn Patrol - Meet St. Andrew Square, same route each time - contact Markus [x];
☕️ Tues, 5pm: [National] Active Travel Cafe on Zoom
🛠️ Weds, 3pm: Bike Kitchen at Edinburgh Tool Library
🌅 Thurs, ⏰ 5.40am: Edinburgh Dawn Patrol (same as Tues, details above);
✴️ Thurs, 5-8pm: Bike DIY Session at The Wee Spoke Hub
⚙️ Sat, 2-4pm: ‘Bike Cleaning and Oiling’ drop-in session at The Wee Spoke Hub
🔁 Monthly Events
🚲 First Friday of the month: Inclusive social bike rides with A Wee Pedal, 1-3pm, from Bridgend Farmhouse;
✊ Last Saturday of the month (Except December! 🧑🎄): Critical Mass Edinburgh, Protest Group Ride, 2pm, Middle Meadow Walk (no ride in December 🎄);
🫂 Help Needed
🚲 Investigating cycling as a mode of active transport in ethnic minority groups in Edinburgh - take part in an ongoing cycling study by Edinburgh University student Keping Li
🚸 From Parents for Future Scotland:
”We are recruiting enthusiastic speakers to join our 2024 Schools Air Pollution Programme as workshop facilitators. Our programme empowers children and their parents to take meaningful action against air pollution in Edinburgh. Workshop facilitators help deliver an engaging and informative talk to parents in the city, raising awareness about air pollution and the steps we can all take to help tackle it. This is a paid role and no previous experience in speaking to groups or expertise in air pollution is needed - we provide free training and a buddy system to help build your confidence as you grow into this important role. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to positive change in your community, meet other like-minded parents, and develop new skills.”
More info at Vacancies — Parents for Future Scotland »
✏️ Jobs and Voluntary Roles
✴️ The Wee Spoke Hub — Administration Volunteer:
ℹ️ Also: office / studio space to sublet;
🛠️ With over 500 responses, halfway there! Scottish Cargo Bike maker Ariel Bikes are looking to get 1,000 responses to their e-cargo bike market survey, and if they do they’ll give away a bike:
“Win an Ariel e-cargo bike worth £5600, with ZF 112Nm motor system, plus Magura, Shimano, Halo, Schwalbe, Suntour and Spinner parts and components. All on a hand built 4130 chromoly steel frame fabricated in our Scottish workshop. Finished in glorious orange metallic fleck powder coat.
We want to understand the UK e-cargo bike market better. So we’ve created a short survey. Fill in the survey and if we can get to over 1000 responses, we will give away the bike.”
Ongoing: 🚌 Marshal for School Bike Buses | 🙋 Help with school programme ‘I Bike’ | 🗨️Join Spokes’ Planning or Resources group | 🆘 Donate money or bikes to Bikes for Refugees | 📦⚡️ Hire Community Cargobikes, E-bikes or Trailers from SW20, Porty Community Energy or Banzai | ♻️ Donate old bikes to The Bike Station or ‘Brake the Cycle’.
🌈 Infrastructure Progress & Consultations
🚢 Leith Connections: Foot of the Walk to Dock St Construction Underway, Schedule Shared
🦶Foot of the Walk to ‘Ocean Terminal’ (actually Commercial St)
⚓️ 'Foot of the Walk to Ocean Terminal' - construction is underway on the Great Junction St cycleway, with work on Henderson St recently started too, for around ten months - a protected cycle route as part of Leith Connections, which promises to be a great continuation of the segregated routes slowly taking root in the city centre.
This Leith Connections works leaflet [PDF] outlines the rough timeline for construction of the route.
Confusingly, the project doesn’t go to Ocean Terminal (shades of Roseburn to Union Canal here) and instead gives up at Commercial St, with the Commercial St to Ocean Terminal leg covered by the third phase of Leith Connections (below);
⚓ Leith Connections Phase 3 - Hawthornvale to Seafield
This consultation has recently closed (17th November).
View the:
Consultation Hub Page (link at the bottom to fill out the survey before the deadline);
Detailed Design drawings (PDF) »
🌳 Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route
Some recent movement on the Greenbank to Meadows Quiet Route, in an update from Blackford Safe Routes and this update from Cllr Ben Parker;
📋 Travelling Safely Schemes (Various)
ETROs for these schemes have various end dates (barring ‘South’, which is not yet published) and can be found for comment at the Council’s Travelling Safely Commonplace microsite; also by emailing TRO.Consultations@edinburgh.gov.uk quoting the relevant scheme.
🌊 Musselburgh Active Toun Consultation
Updated plans over on Musselburgh Active Toun with further consultation ongoing: these may be of particular interest to Edinburgh residents as they cover the East Lothian section of Edinburgh Road that would eventually facilitate the long-held ambition of a tie-in to Joppa and Portobello prom, as well as the rest of the North Edinburgh network.
Comments on the consultation can be emailed to musselburgh.uki@aecom.com
⚒️ Lasswade Rd Cycleways
Update: Looking like this project has now been completed.
Spokes previously shared [x] the project page for a partial resurfacing of Lasswade Rd that includes a stretch of segregated cycle lane at each side, close to Gracemount High School. Spokes’ response makes mention of various interesting aspects and suggests changes.
Thanks for reading - ride safe 🚲
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